Comments Off on The Advancement of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has made significant territorial gains over the past month as it has moved toward Baghdad. Leveraging the Sunni populations’ disenfranchisement with the central government, the ISIL has successfully taken strategic cities in Anbar, Nineweh, Salah al-Din, and Diyala provinces. This report will analyze the ISIL’s military strategy and offer suggestions as to how the Iraqi government can successfully combat this extremist group.

The reasons for sectarian dissidence and violence in Iraq are both complex and numerous. While recognizing that there are many factors that contribute to the current situation in Iraq, there are two primary antecedents to the current growth of violence. First, the renewed vigor and aggressiveness of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI); second, government corruption in the Maliki administration.

With fighting in Syria escalating, Hezbollah has openly began assisting the Syrian regime in the battle for the strategic city of Qusayr. Sunni rebel groups, including the al-Qaeda affiliated Nusra Front, are retaliating by beginning violent campaigns in Lebanon. Al-Qaeda in Iraq is attempting to capitalize on the chaos in Syria by bombing Shia population centers in Iraq. An analysis of these recent developments illustrates the short- to mid-term forecast of events in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq.

A political cartoon depicts President Bashir Al-Assad of Syria as the grim reaper of Syria. According to the United Nations, over 4,000 people, including over 300 children, have been killed in Syria during the Arab Spring unrest. The Arab League has repeatedly passed resolutions and sanctions on Syria. Recently […]

Since President George W. Bush declared a war on terrorism on September 20th, 2001 thousands of people worldwide have been affected. The United States has fought either directly or indirectly in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Iraq, Yemen and many other locations around the globe. Terrorist plots have been foiled in airports, on planes, in crowded cities […]